Jennifer Buscemi is the deepfake that should seriously frighten you

Deepfakes — videos in which an individual’s face is superimposed onto another — continue to advance at a quickening pace.

The technology, which relies on machine learning and artificial intelligence, was once largely relegated to researchers at prestigious universities. But over the past few years, a growing online community has democratized the practice, bringing powerful and easy-to-use tools to the masses.

One of the public’s first introductions to deepfakes came in late 2017. A Reddit group devoted to placing the faces of prominent female actresses onto those of porn stars gained attention. …

That video — which combines actor Steve Buscemi with actress Jennifer Lawrence at the 2016 Golden Globe awards — is turning heads. Not because anyone believes it is real, but because of the video’s implications.

Utilizing a free tool known as “faceswap,” VillainGuy proceeded to train the AI with high-quality media content of Buscemi. With the aid of a high-end graphics card and processor, “Jennifer Lawrence-Buscemi” was born. VillainGuy says the level of detail was achieved thanks to hours of coding and programming as well.

Video is no longer proof, as of late 2018. There is political mischief ahead.